


The Mistletoe Magic

by brightasstars



Series: SHBingo Fics [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Bows & Arrows, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Curse Breaking, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Style, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Horse Archer, Identifying Marks - Freeform, Light Angst, Lost prince, Love, M/M, Meant To Be, Mentions of Solitude and Loneliness, Mistletoe, Mistletoe legend and mythology, Past curse mention, mentions of bad parenting, promise of future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightasstars/pseuds/brightasstars
Summary: Square Filled: MistletoeAn archer and a mysterious man dressed in white, a curse and a magical plant. A story of loneliness and grief, of hope and love.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: SHBingo Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072829
Comments: 14
Kudos: 69
Collections: SHBingo 20-21





	The Mistletoe Magic

**Author's Note:**

> I've mixed the Norge Legend od the mistletoe to the traditional celtic-druid ritual. 
> 
> A special thanks to  
> [NvrLndBoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NvrLndBoi/pseuds/NvrLndBoi) for adding his magical touch to my moodboard.

His arrow hit the bark's knot right in its middle. Alec heard the abrupt flap of wings above his head, a hawk leaving his nest. He adjusted his quiver and his bow behind his back, mounting on his black horse and heading north.

He was expected to arrive at the Herondales castle before the night fell. He still couldn't figure out why they had sent an emissary searching for him in the middle of the mountains. 

He swirled the hem of his black cloak around his neck and shoulders as the cold of the early winter evening fell on him.

When the moon was high in the sky, he glimpsed the outlines of the spiked towers of the castle, and that's when he heard a rustling sound coming from behind a tree. He yanked the reins to halt the animal and dismounted, grabbing his bow in his hand.

He'd learned how to be silent and move smoothly between the bushes and the branches in all those years of solitude; ever since that night when he was thrown on his horse, to escape from the devastation that followed and he'd never went back once. 

A slender figure dressed all in white was hiding behind a huge Oak trunk, his body pressed against the dark bark, his head turned on one side, sure to have fooled the archer.

The man gasped as he felt a hand circling his upper arm. He tried to disentangle himself but couldn't. He knew it was useless to scream, the forest was deserted and no one would ever come to save him.

"Let me go," he hissed, tugging harder against the grip, "let me go."

"I won't harm you," a warm voice answered, "Are you running away from something? Are you in danger?"

The man in white shook his head without turning.

"Got lost?", and Alec received another unspoken - _no-_. 

"Then who are you and why are you wandering alone in the forest so late at night? It's dangerous."

The voice was soft and gentle, as was the hand that was holding him still. He felt he could trust him.

"Night hours are the only ones I am allowed to be myself," and he finally turned to look closer at the one who was standing behind him.

Under the black large hood, he saw a pair of blue eyes staring, and warm grey puffs of breath coming out from red lips.

Alec leaned a little closer, amazed by the golden cat eyes that were shining under the bright light of the moon. They held the fierceness of a panther, but the gaze was gentle, and he couldn't keep from staring. They were beautiful, he was beautiful.

"You're not afraid…," the man in white whispered in awe.

The archer remained still, looking at him, in wonder.

"Wait… I have seen these clothes before, you're a white-clad minister of the Oak Tree, aren't you?" 

"Who are you? I have never seen you in these woods."

"I am not from this County, I have been sent a message from the castle, the Herondales one. It said they needed my help."

The man in white sighed, "Don't let them drag you into any battle that's not yours to fight, young archer, the thing they are trying to solve, it's unsolvable, the solution they are searching for is out of reach, there is nothing no one can do."

He finally disengaged his arm, lowering his head to the ground, "I have to go…," and in less than a second he vanished in the darkness.

Alec stood still for a while, lost in the feeling those shining eyes had left in him and in the heavy awareness that was growing deep down in his soul. He was sure he'd recognized the clothing.

He mounted back on his black stallion and galloped to the castle that was towering the valley.

  
  


The King was waiting for him inside the huge ballroom. Alec looked at him from under his hood. He was old and looked very tired, and next to him stood a blonde knight.

Alec knelt in front of the throne, bowing his head.

"Horse Archer, remove your hood and reveal who you are."

Alec raised his head a bit but the cloth was too low on his forehead to give away anything more than his low voice.

"If I am not mistaken, you are the one who summoned me here for help. I have been living in obscurity for years, I am not in need of anything you can give or offer me, I won't reveal my identity to anyone."

The blonde one quickly rushed toward him, unsheathing his sword as he spoke, "How dare you address the King with such smugness?"

"He is not my king, nor I am his subject. I have no king, and no realm, I serve no lord and made no vow to anyone, and I kindly suggest you lower your weapon, I came here in peace because your father wanted me."

The young man looked back at him, puzzled.

"The fire that burns in your eyes, is the same that burns in the king's ones. I am here at my own rules, give or take."

"Then be it. Jace…," the king said and the blond knight stepped back.

"I have wanted you here for a reason. It all started one year ago when my son and heir standing next to me, fought with the god of the summer sun who'd kidnapped his bride. He was able to rescue her but not to defeat him. He seemed invincible and since that day all our men, even my son, have lost their ability to procreate. He entrapped all the life energy somewhere and he put his son to guard it. It's been told that the Celtic folk you come from knew the secret of how to preserve and maintain fertility..."

Alec stood up, adjusting his wooden arch on his shoulder, and spoke.

"The source of every life energy is contained in one plant, that grows neither on the earth nor under the earth, but on apple and oak trees. It is the mistletoe, which happens to be the only plant Asmodeus is vulnerable to after he went to air, fire, water, earth, and every animal and plant seeking a promise that no harm would come to him. Therefore he can't be hurt by anything."

The king stood up abruptly, "How do you know?"

The archer shrugged, "I already told you this is none of your business, I know how to defeat him and how to give you your life-generating power back. That's all you need to know."

His voice was cold and calm.

"How can we be sure that you aren't on his side? That you will betray us?", the youngest Herondale shouted at him.

"You can't. All you can do is trust my word."

The silence fell thick and heavy on the throne room until the King spoke again, "And what is that you want in return, horse archer?"

"Nothing that you or your power can grant me. If things will go as I hope, I will have my reward. Now it's your choice. But you have to be quick. The first full moon after the winter solstice it's due in a week."

The King sat again, his old calloused hand resting on his chin as he brushed his grey beard, thoughtful. What did they have to lose anyway? They had tried everything and nothing had worked. Also, the man hadn't asked for anything back, it was worth the try.

"Will do, archer. You are very welcome to be my guest till that night comes."

Alec stepped backward toward the big brown door, "I will settle in the forest and come back here the night before the full moon, to give you all the details. You know where to find me if anything new happens," and he turned and walked away.

"Father…," the youngest Herondale opposed.

"We have no choice Jace but to trust him. He is searching for something too, he won't betray us."

  
  


Alec quickly arranged a small campfire after he killed a deer and cooked his meal. The black horse was standing next to him, tall and majestic, his mane shining under the pale moon. It was too late to go back to the point where he met the man, he had to wait for the next night to fall.

He fell asleep near the fire, the branches creeping under the force of the flames, the warm breath of his horse shielding him from the cold wind of the north.

  
  


When the sun was up, he woke and realized the fire was still burning. He brushed his horse on his back, whispering in his ear, "We'll find him again, tonight, we'll find him. Now let's search the Oak Tree, there must be one hidden in the deepness of the forest. If he was there last night, there must be one."

He mounted the animal and guided him between the trees. The forest was dense and the branches entwined so thickly above his head that the sun couldn't peek through.

He didn't know how many hours passed when he spotted it, a huge Oak tree in the middle of a clearing, with several bunches of mistletoe attached to his trunk.

He was almost sure, but he stepped closer just to prove himself right. As soon as his feet were crossing the imaginary round line traced by the foliage's shadow, he felt a surge of energy blasting from the tree, shoving him away.

He smiled. He'd found it, now all he had to do was wait for the darkness to fall. In silence. Hidden. He didn't want to scare him.

  
  


It was past midnight when he saw the same man in white transpassing the bark of the tree as if it was a veil. He looked around suspiciously until he was sure of being alone and then sat on the ground, bending toward a mulberry bush.

Alec approached the slender figure that was grabbing the fruits as silent as a ghost. The angle of his black cloak moved with the wind and brushed the other's man's knee, making him gasp in surprise and standing abruptly, but Alec was faster.

He grabbed his wrist, tugging gently, "I know who you are, you're Asmodeus' son."

The man in white looked at him with his cat eyes open wide, but Alec didn't even flinch, tightening his grip instead, "I know what he did to you, I can help you."

He saw those beautiful golden eyes turning sad as they cast toward the ground.

"No one can help me, archer, I already told you last night. Go away.*

Without saying a further word, Alec loosened his hold on the man's wrist and started to unlatch the black leather bracer that covered his left forearm.

The other man waited, silently. He knew he should have run away, but something inside him was telling him to wait, to stop, forcing him to look.

When the last string was opened, Alec gently removed the leather and turned his wrist so that the man could see.

A green stem with three pearly whites berries attached to it was carved in his white skin. 

All the mulberries fell from the man's hands as he inhaled a sharp breath.

"So you really exist, you're not just a legend…," he was lost for words as the reality sank into him.

The archer removed his hood, "Alexander Lightwood…"

"The lost Celtic prince… my father has been haunting you for years… I thought he'd killed you…"

The man in front of him was beautiful, his eyes soft and gentle as he kept staring at him.

"You're too beautiful to be the _Eldest Curse_ ," Alec breathed out, "Have you a name?"

The cat eyes turned tender as the other man answered, "I'm Magnus, and you look pretty cute yourself," he said as a shiver ran down his spine.

Alec discarded his cloak and threw it on Magnus' shoulders, "You're cold, let me start a fire, and then we can talk."

They stood up and Alec gathered some branches.

Magnus seemed doubtful for a moment as he looked at the wood in front of him.

_He hadn't been scared by his eyes, hadn't he?_

He searched for Alec's gaze and blew. A cobalt string of smoke left his mouth, igniting the fire.

"You have magic," Alec said in awe, a look of utter adoration and wonder in his eyes.

Magnus smiled tenderly, "I do, but unfortunately, I can't use it to break myself free."

Alec sat next to him.

The flames were softly caressing their skins as they sat in silence, sharing years of untold sorrow and loneliness.

Magnus gently removed the cloak and his white tunic from his right wrist, revealing a small arrow crossing his vein and tendons.

Alec shily moved his hand to the drawing, "May I?" he asked quietly before tracing it softly with his index finger, making Magnus quiver again.

"You didn't ask me to show it to you...why?"

"I knew it was you, even without seeing this. I remember my mother tracing this on my skin and whispering - _You will know_ -, before she put me on this huge black horse and slapped his back, just a few moments before your father arrived and made them all disappear. Castle, land, animals, people, everything. I was just a child, but I remember the screams and then the deadly silence I left behind."

"I'm sorry Alexander, that you had to live a life of loneliness because of him."

Alec's hand slid a little further, entwining his fingers with Magnus, "What he did to you was even worse, Magnus. You are his son. He imprisoned you, forcing you to guard all the sacred Oak Trees of each county and land until he'd subjugated everyone."

Magnus sighed, sadly, "What's worse is that…, he brought the people to hate me, Alexander, believing that I am a willing participant in all this."

"You must have felt so alone," Alec mumbled

"And so did you," Magnus added.

Alec killed a hare and they ate quietly, talking about their childhood, the dreams they'd lost, the hope, the solitude, the night sky, and the stars.

Without consciously wanting and realizing, they had ended up leaning on the Oak tree, Magnus' back pressed into Alec's chest, and Alec's left arm curled around his shoulders.

"So you know everything?" Magnus asked him when the flames were almost dead.

Alec adjusted his back and brought Magnus further down with him, "It took me years to find the warlock my mother told me to search for. She explained to me everything. How to kill him, how to save you, how to give back the fertility to the ones he'd stolen it from, everything. She also told me that my reign should appear again when the curse is broken, but I don't know how many of mine will be alive. I am sure Asmodeus killed many of them on that night, especially my mother. She was one of the white-clad shrine-maidens."

He bowed his head and cocked it on one side, searching for Magnus. The man looked sad as Alec spoke.

"Will they be here when you free the magic of the mistletoe?"

"Herondale's soldiers? Hmm, yes. I told them I would go back to explain what will happen on the night of the full moon. They are coming to gather the mistletoe's berries."

"They will kill me, Alexander. You know they will."

He felt Alec's hand tighten against his chest, "Do you trust me?" Magnus heard him ask.

"I do, Alexander. I do."

"Then whatever happens follow me," and Magnus nodded.

Alec painfully discovered how with each morning sun that broke the night cloth Magnus was pulled by an invisible force inside the Oak tree until it was dark again. He spent the days hunting and training for the moment that he had been waiting for for years, and the nights getting acquainted with Magnus, relishing in the feeling of having him close, enjoying his presence and tenderness, and his joyful laughter.

The night before the full moon he went back to the Herondales castle, as he'd promised. The King was waiting for him on his throne.

Alec lowered on his knees and waited for the king's permission to speak.

"Asmodeus will show up as soon as his son will be out on the night of the full moon because he knows it's the only night in which is possible to break the spell. I will kill him. Then his son will climb on the Oak Tree and cut down the mistletoe and you will use it to make an elixir to cure the infertility of your men."

"I will be there with my army if anything goes wrong."

Alec nodded.

"Just one more thing," he added as he was standing up and heading toward the door, "for the spell to be effectively broken, no harm should befall to whom should ever stand under the mistletoe. Remember." 

The king looked straight at him in the eyes, "We will remember."

Alec went back to Magnus and found him already sitting near the spot where their fire burnt. 

"Is everything arranged?" he asked.

"Yes. It is," Alec answered sitting on the grass next to him. 

Magnus opened his hand. There shone a pearly arrow tip. 

"How did you manage to pull it without him noticing?" 

"I slowly carved a small hole in the bark and tore it from the inside."

Alec latched the tip to one of his arrows.

"Are you scared?" he asked gently.

Magnus looked at him, "Yes, I am."

Alec took both of his hands, "We will make it."

A lone tear streamed on Magnus' cheek, "You have a life to go back to. You will be the king of your realm. Me…, I have nothing, no home, no family, anything."

Alec tightened his grip, his thumbs gently skimming Magnus' knuckles.

"Do you trust me?* he asked him again, and Magnus answered yes. Again.

Their goodbye on that eventful day was hard. They both were awake before the sun was up, restless in their sleep, amazed to find themselves still holding their hands.

As the first ray of the sun hit the trees Alec let Magnus' hand free, "This is the last time his magic is taking you away from me, I promise," he whispered as he saw him being _sucked_ into the tree trunk.

When the night fell and the moon shone high in the sky, a perfectly full and rounded sphere, Alec clearly heard a pulse of magic and finally saw Asmodeus materializing in the middle of the clearing.

"Come out my beloved son, it's time for us to defend what's ours."

Then he saw Magnus slowly crossing the bark, his eyes wide open and feral, his jaw tightened.

"Ah, I see you still haven't surrendered to be on my side. Pity, my son. The more you fight me, the more time you'll be trapped in that trunk. Submit to me, to my will, and you will be free again."

Magnus held the stare, "How weird. What you call freedom, looks like slavery to me."

He resisted the urge to search for Alec through the shades of the leaves. He knew all the kingdom's warriors were hidden somewhere and he felt a wave of fear rising from the low of his back up to his shoulders. He shivered. Then he remembered Alec's words.

The archer was hidden inside the mulberry bush, its thorns kneading into his skin where it wasn't protected, as thin, slow, rivulets of blood tainted his pale moon-like coloring.

It was the only safe place where Asmodeus could never see him. His bow was wedged between the brambles, the mistletoe arrow tensed on the chord, ready to be shot.

Suddenly as the bright blinding yellow magic blasted from Asmodeus' hands, Magnus felt the power of the sun removing the spell from the tree, and then a guttural loud growl coming from behind the rays of light.

He turned and saw his father lying on the ground, lifeless, a pool of blood spreading on the grass from underneath his heart.

Magnus heard whispers and muffled movements coming from the trees, and Alec was instantly standing in front of him, shielding him with his tall figure, gently pushing him back toward the oak.

"Climb and tear that mistletoe bush, and let it fall to the ground."

Magnus nodded, tensing against Alec's back.

"I won't let anything touch you. Trust me."

Magnus inhaled a long breath and started climbing the tree trunk. Alec stepped aside, just a little to the right, freeing the sight to the king's army.

The forest was breathing with them, his life chore vibrating along with Magnus' magic as he started to pull the mistletoe.

Alec felt a surge of power coming from the Oak and uncovered the drawing on his wrist, extending his arm under the moonlight.

Magnus ripped the last root of the mistletoe from the trunk, watching as it fell to the ground, sadly aware of the clinging sounds coming from the swords. He felt himself being yanked from one ankle and screwed his eyes shut, ready to be killed and die.

Rather than the piercing sensation he was expecting, he felt two arms wrapped around him. Alec was holding him against his chest, standing still under a mistletoe bush that was hanging over their heads.

"You really knew what you were doing, didn't you?" Alec heard the king shout as all his soldiers halted immediately, "He is his son, he is dangerous as his father was."

Alec removed his hood with a shake of his head.

"He was trapped in his father's spell as much as you all were. He is the reward I was aiming for. I killed Asmodeus and freed your men from the infertility spell. I returned you your Oak's tree so that on each winter solstice the white-clad ministers you will nominate will be able to renew it. I kept my word, now it's your time to keep it. Don't even think to fight me, Herondale king, because none of you can stand a chance against me, and you know it."

The king silently turned his horse away from the clearing, followed by his heir and his army, leaving them alone.

Alec could feel Magnus still shaking in his arms, he could hear his heart beating frantically against his ribs, the thumps matching his erratic ones.

"So I am your reward?" Magnus mumbled.

Alec huffed and closed his eyes.

"Will you come with me to my county and reign beside me, for all the years to come?", his voice never sounded so unsure and whimpering.

"No one will ever let us…", Magnus whispered against Alec's neck, raising his head to look at him, still not fully believing the words he'd just heard.

"I will," Alec answered, "no matter what I will have to fight or battle, I will."

His blue eyes were smiling when he tilted his head down to look at Magnus. 

"Can I?" Alec tenderly asked as his lips were slowly inching toward him. He didn't answer but moved a little closer until their mouths pressed together and their breaths mingled.

  
  


...and this is why we still kiss under the mistletoe, in memory of a Love which conquered Death...

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Happy New Year everyone! 
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @brightasstars
> 
> If you're 18 join us on the [ The Hunter's Moon Discord](https://discord.gg/RhZPtsd)  
> 


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